Apparatus for lifting and moving invalids



( Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. HARLEY.

APPARATUS FOR LIPTING AND MOVING INVALIDS. N0.*428,602. Patented May 27,1890.

.gAQy mm): [76.5. ALFHEDHAHLEY,

marney.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. HARLEY. APPARATUS FOR LIPTING ANDMOVING INVALIDS. No. 428,602.

Patented May 27, 1890;

Mentor:

flLFRED HA BL EY,

101mm, wAwmn-wu, v. c.

UNIT STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED HARLEY, or ALBANY, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR LIFTING AND MOVING INVALIDS.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 428,602, dated May27, 1890.

Application filed fieptember 26, 1887. Serial No. 250,677. (No model.)

To all 1072,0777, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED HARLEY, of the city and county of Albany, inthe State of New York, have invented new and useful Apparatus forLifting and Moving Helpless Invalids, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to an apparatus by which an invalid while in arecumbent position can be lifted bodily and when occasion requires movedfrom one bed to another without infliction of painfand the object of myinvention is to provide suitable facilities for painlessly liftinginvalids for the purpose of changing their bedding, for washing theunder side of them, and for any other sanitary purposes. This object Iattain by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which areherein referred to and form part of this specification, and in whichFigure l is a side elevation of my lifting apparatus. Fig. 2 is a planView thereof. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section thereof. Fig. i is anenlarged cross-section of the central lifting-drum, showing asleeve-Windlass attachment that is used for slightly raising the middleportion of the body alone, when occasion requires. Fig. 5 is a sideelevation of my lifting apparatus mounted on movable trestles providedwith casters for the purpose of moving an invalid from one bed toanother. Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the same at the line X X,showing a modified form of mechanism for raising the middle portion ofthe body; and Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a suspensory harness forcarrying one end of my apparatus on a bedstead provided with a highhead-board.

As represented in the drawings, A is the frame-work of my apparatus. Itis preferably made of wood in the'form of a rightangled oblong framecomposed of string-pieces 1 and cross-girts 2. As shown in Figs. 1, 2,and 3, said string-pieces project beyond the points where thecross-girts are framed into them,

and at one end said string-pieces are provided with a hinged portion 3,which is arranged to fold downwardly, as shown in Fig. 3, for thepurpose of adapting the apparatus for use on bedsteads with either highor low head-boards. India-rubber bearings or plugs 4 are inserted in theends of said string-pieces to prevent injury to the high head-board whenthe apparatus is used on that class of bedsteads. The framework A isprovided with three lifting-drums, which are journaled thereon, andwhich consist of the head-lifting drum B, the middlelifting drum 0, andthe feet-lifting drum D, the said drums being located where they willrespectively be nearly over the head, the middle, and the feet of aninvalid. Each of said drums is provided with two pendent lifting-cords5, which are attached near theends of said drums, and each of saidlifting-cords has at its lower end branch cords (5, whose terminals areprovided with hooks 7, for a purpose hereinafter explained. Each of saidlifting-drums is provided with a bevel gear-wheel 8, fitted to gear intoa corresponding gear-wheel 9, that is secured to a longitudinal shaft E,so'that all of said drums will be synchronously rotated.

One of said drumspreferably the middle oneis provided with a worm-wheel10, in which an endless screw 11 engages toimparta rotatory motion totheseries of drums, said endless screw being provided with acrank-handle 12, by which motion is imparted thereto. The middle-liftingdrum C is preferably provided with a sleeve-Windlass F for the purposeof slightly raising the middle portion of an invalids bod when it is reuired to insert a lifting-plate thereunder. Said windlass consists of asleeve that is fitted to rotate on said drum C, which forms its axis,and is provided with a hook 13 near its middle, a perforatedcapstan-head 1% at one end for the purpose of receiving a handle forimparting motion to the windlass, and at the opposite end withratchet-teeth 15, in which a spring-pawl 16 engages to hold the windlassmotionless when occasion requires.

Gis a breeching that is designed to pass under the middle portion of aninvalids body, and is provided at one end with a strap 17, which isadapted to engage with the hook 13, and at the opposite end with a strap18, that adjustably engages with the strap 17 to form a proper-sizedloop in which an invalids body may be suspended from the windlass.

H represents lifting plates or platforms, of which there are tl1reeonefor the head, one for the middle portion, and one for the feet of aninvaliddetachably connected to the branch cords 6 by means of the hooks7.

\Yhen my apparatus is used on a bedstead whose head and foot boards areabout of the same height, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, thehinged portions 3 are extended, so that the frame-work A will rest onthe head and foot boards; but when the apparatus is used on a bedsteadwhose head-board is higher than the foot-hoard the hinged pieces 3 arefolded back under thestring-pieces 1, as shown in Fig. I). The footofthe apparatus will then reston the foot-board of the bedstead, and thehead of the apparatus will be suspended from the head-board by means ofthe suspensory harness I, whose lower ends are provided with hooks 19,which engage in staples fixed in the head of the frame-work A. The upperstraps of said harness, which aremade adjustable in length, are providedwith hooks 20, that are adapted to engage over the top of the head-boardof the bedstead.

It is well known that when a person is l ving down the preponderance ofweight is near the middle portion of his body. Therefore the lifting ofthat part of his body is attended with greater dillieulty, and in casesof inflammatory disease is only attained by the infliction ofconsiderable pain, the lifting of the extremities being comparatively ofeasy accomplishment. In order that the insertion of the lifting-plate llunder the middle portion of the body may be accomplished with as littlepain as possible, the brceching G is passed endwise under the invalidnear the small of his back, and after the straps of said breechin g aresecured together the strap 17' is attached to the hook l3, and thewindlass F is rotated until the middle portion of the invalids body israised high enough to permit a lifting-plate H to be freely passedthereunder, after which the motion of the windlass is reversed to lowerthe invalid to place on the lifting-plate In the modification of myapparatus, as shown in Figs. 5 and i, the windlass F is dispensed with,and a lifting-lever J' is substituted for the same purpose. Said leveris provided at one end with a hook 21, on which the strap 17 of thebreeching G engages. The lever Ll, while performing its ollice oflifting, bears upon a fulcrum 22, that is attached to one of thestring-pieces of the frame-work A.

The operation of my apparatus is as follows: The lifting-platcs II beingadjusted in their several places under the invalid, and the branch cords6 being connected to said lifting-plates, motion is imparted to theendless screw ll, whereby the lifting-drums l G, and D will be rotatedat a uniform rate of speed to wind the several lifting-cords 5 steadilyaround said lifting-drums, and thereby the invalid will be lifted bodilyfrom the bed without the least jar or strain being imparted to him.\Vhen raised to a required. height, the rotations of the lifting-drumsare stopped, said drums beingheld stationary by the endless screw 11 andworm-wheel 10, so as to leave the invalid suspended on thelifting-plates ll,and while so suspended thebedding maybe adjusted orchanged, and the body of the invalid may be bathed or otherwise treated.The invalid is lowered to the bed by reversing the operations justdescribed.

For the purpose of removing an invalid from one bed to another I providea pair of movable trestles Kone for the foot and the other for the headof the bedand support thereon the frame-work A of my apparatus, as shownin Figs. and ti. Said trestles are provided with casters 2]., on whichthe apparatus can easily be moved from place to place in an apartment,while an invalid is borne on the lifting-plates II, as hcrcinbeforedescribed.

1 claim as my invention In an a 'iparatus for lifting and movinginvalids, the combination of a frame provided with three transversely-arrangcd lifting drums, each being provided with a bevel-gear fitted toengage with a corresponding gear secured to a longitudinal shaft, andeach of said drums being provided with lifting'cords having hooks ontheir branch terminals, one of said drums being provided-with awormwheel fitted to engage with an endless screw journaled to saidframe, and the middledrum being provided with a sleeve-windlass which isjournaled on said drum and is provided with a hook to which a brecchingfor lifting the middle of a patients body can be attached, one end ofsaid windlass having a ratchet-wheel which engages with a springpaw]attached to said drum, so as to lock said drum and windiass to moveconjunctivcly, and the opposite end of said windlass being fitted toreceive a handle for rotating the wiudlass independently of said drumfor the purpose of raising the middle portion of an invalids bodywithout affecting the head and feet, and three separate and independentlifting-plates, which are titted to attach to said lifting-cords, as andfor the purpose herein specified.

ALFRED HARLEY. \Vi tnesses:

WM. II. Low

1;. BREWER.

